Baby gear
How much equipment you buy, and whether you go minimal or fully equipped, new or second-hand.
What baby gear do we actually need?
In short: Parents choose between 3 main approaches: Minimalist; Moderate; Fully equipped and tech-forward; new or second-hand. Evidence: your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide. Best settled: during pregnancy.
- Evidence
- Your call
- Best settled
- During pregnancy
- Part of
- Pregnancy to first birthday
Baby gear: what are the options?
Parents usually land on one of these 3 approaches.
1. Minimalist
You buy only the essentials.
2. Moderate
You buy the common items and a few extras.
3. Fully equipped and tech-forward; new or second-hand
You buy a full set of equipment including smart devices; and decide whether to buy new or used.
Baby gear: what does the evidence say?
Your call. No outcome evidence picks a winner. Preference, culture, money and logistics decide.
No outcome research gathered on this yet — treat it as a preference.
What else is worth knowing?
There is a large market for baby products, and most babies need few of them. Buying less at first and adding what you actually use saves money and space. Second-hand is fine for most items, with care over car seats and cribs.
Questions to ask each other
- What do we really need, and what could wait until we know what the baby likes?
- Are we happy to accept hand-me-downs?
- What is our budget?
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First published 2026-10-03. Last updated 2026-10-05. General information, not medical advice.